The Pig That Disturbed the Persian Emperor Was the Traitor in His Own Home

The incident occurred three times, and it was added that the pig entered, drank, and rested.

The king gathered ministers, princes, advisors, and dream interpreters.

The teacher said: "I am not an expert in this... but there is a student who can interpret the dream for you."

The boy said: "Go to your household; you will find among them a man."

The figure of Buzurmihr had a wide reflection in Persian literature.

The King of India sent a chessboard as a gift to Khosrow.

"If you can identify him, I will send you money and gifts annually."

Was Abu Muslim al-Khurasani one of Buzurmihr's sons?

One day, the Persian Emperor Anushirvan had a dream in which a large pig entered his palace and drank from the special cups kept in the palace.

Anushirvan woke up from sleep and pondered the dream. The next day, he had the same dream again. Upon waking, he began to think about it, and the incident repeated itself on the third day, with the addition that the pig entered, drank, and rested beside the cups.

He said that since this vision had repeated three times, he gathered ministers, princes, advisors, and interpreters to interpret the dream, but no one could explain it. Anushirvan then sent messengers to cities and regions to find someone who could interpret the vision. In a distant area, they found a school with a teacher. They presented the vision to him and asked for its interpretation. The teacher said, "I am not an expert in this, but there is a fifteen-year-old student who can interpret the dream for you."

The messenger spoke to the student, who replied, "I know the interpretation, but I will not tell you. I will tell it to Khosrow." When they arrived at the palace, the king recounted the dream to the student.

The boy, whose name was Buzurmihr, asked for a guarantee of safety, which was granted. He said, "Go to the place where your family—your wife, daughters, and female slaves—are. You will find among them a hidden man." Anushirvan summoned the guards and brought all the women in the palace. Upon searching them, it became clear that there was a man among them. Khosrow ordered his head to be cut off.

The king kept the student with him, prepared him for service to the monarch, and he eventually became one of the greatest and most famous ministers.

Buzurmihr Bakhtagan is one of the most famous Persian political thinkers, especially since the glory of the last Persian empire before Islam is attributed to this minister and his political acumen. He was born in Khorasan, northeastern Iran, in 531 AD.

He witnessed many fluctuations during his life and became the mastermind of the Persians, having the most enduring and influential impact on their history.

The figure of Buzurmihr had a wide reflection in Persian literature, and many moral teachings were attributed to him in the works of ancient Persian writers, such as Marzban ibn Rustam and Khwaja Nizam al-Mulk.

From that time onward, Buzurmihr gained a prestigious position in the Sasanian court.

Anushirvan sent him to teach in scientific assemblies. In this way, he earned an honorable status with the emperor after demonstrating talent in various sciences, and he was appointed as the king's minister.

Ibn al-Balghi, the 6th-century AH historian, in his book "Farsnama," refers to the high status Buzurmihr enjoyed in Khosrow's court, stating: "The king placed a golden throne for his wise minister in front of his own throne, and Buzurmihr's position was higher than that of the advisors and other government officials."

In some Arabic sources, it is said that Abu Muslim al-Khurasani, who led the Abbasid Revolution, was one of Buzurmihr's sons, who was distinguished in prediction and knowledge of hidden secrets, or what is known as foresight of the future.

Ibn Khaldun mentioned Buzurmihr in his introduction, stating that he predicted the fall of the Sasanians.

He later became a model of the mastermind minister in Persian literature. Perhaps the most important work attributed to Buzurmihr is his book "Nasayeh Buzurmihr Bakhtagan." This book is written in Pahlavi and contains 1,425 words, including advice on the principles of behavior and upbringing, such as good character in speech and perseverance in excellence.

The story of Buzurmihr and the game of chess

The King of India sent a chessboard made of emerald and ruby to Khosrow as a gift. In his letter, he wrote: “Since you are our emperor, your scholars must be superior to ours. I have sent you something called chess, and I challenge you to this game. If you can master it, I will send you money and gifts annually, and the same will apply to you.”

Khosrow summoned his ministers and advisors, informed them of the matter, and asked for a solution.

After some time, Buzurmihr arrived and said to Khosrow: “I have the matter under control. I have solved it and understood chess. This game represents a battlefield, where both sides fight using these small pieces, and the one with greater wisdom and insight emerges victorious.”

Buzurmihr revealed the game’s secrets in full and arranged the pieces. The emperor rejoiced, saluted him, and awarded him a bonus of ten thousand gold coins. He then sent a detailed explanation and report to the King of India.

The King of India acknowledged and admitted defeat, but he sent India’s best chess player to challenge them. He stipulated that if the Indian player won, they would pay the King of India money and gifts annually; if they lost, the reverse would apply. The King of India hoped this would compensate for his initial loss.

However, he did not know that a cunning man of his time named Buzurmihr would face his envoy. They played, and the first match lasted a long time until the Persian minister won. They then played a second match, in which Buzurmihr again prevailed. At Buzurmihr’s request, they played a third match, after which Buzurmihr told the envoy: “When you return to India, tell them that you lost to us three times.”

Moreover, Buzurmihr presented him with a new game, instructed him to take it to India, present it to its king, and learn and explain it if they could. He told the envoy: “We will pay you money and gifts annually if you manage to win this game; if you cannot, you will pay us.”

The envoy carried the game to the King of India, and they tried to understand and solve it, but they failed.

This game was called “Win Ardeshir,” which is known in our modern era as “Backgammon.” The King of India surrendered and was forced to pay the wager three times annually.